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Cyberbullying refers to any harassment which occurs via the internet, cell phones or other devices. It involves using communication technology to intentionally harm others through hostile behaviour such as sending text messages and posting ugly comments on the internet (US Legal, Inc., 2014). Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. By definition, it occurs among young people (The Nemours Foundation, 2014). Cyberbullying is the use of technologies such as the internet, cell phones and other electronic devices to deliberately harass threaten and harm others.
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behaviour among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n. d.a).
Bullying, in its most basic sense, involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, verbal, or other means in order to gain a sense of superiority and power. These actions may be direct (i.e. hitting, verbally assaulting face-to-face, etc.) or indirect (i.e. rumors, gossip, etc.). Like other forms of bullying, cyberbullying is about human relationships, power and control. Those who bully others are trying to establish power and control over others whom they perceive to be “weaker” than them. Those who bully want to make victims feel that there is something wrong with them; but victims should know that nothing wrong with them. It is the bullies who have the real problems (Bullying.org Canada Incorporated, 2004).
Technology’s progression is frequently equated with the advancement of human societies. Pivotal innovations, such as the internet, have forever changed the way people interact. Though these developments have allowed the human race to make great strides in many fields, they have also allowed forms of transgression to become more rampant and widespread. This is evident when considering how traditional bullying has evolved into an issue known today as cyberbullying. While bullying and cyberbullying are often similar in terms of form and technique, they also have many differences. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying allows the offender to hide his or her identity behind a technological tool. This anonymity makes it easier for the offender to strike blows against a victim without having to see the victim’s physical reaction. The distancing effect that technological devices have on today’s youth often leads them to say and do more cruel things compared to what is typical in a traditional face-to-face bullying situation. (Donegan, 2012).